Cross Country Catch Up.......Whew

With the wedding over and the new couple on their way to honeymoon bliss, it was time to make our escape from the Miami area rat race. Since we had come down the east coast of FL, we thought we'd travel up the west coast for a little change of scenery. At around 10:00 it was off across Alligator Alley and the Florida Everglades. Of course in typical tourist fashion, we didn't know I-75 was a toll road until it was too late, (and we don't carry cash on us) it was a mad scramble for the laundry change cup to scrounge enough to pay the toll. We also ran across several more toll roads that have sprung up since I lived in FL many moon ago, and decided we must avoid these next time as you can go broke pretty quickly.

Our hasty escape, landed us in the Tampa Bay area and the RV Park at Tyndall AFB. Original plans had been to stay the night and move on, however a couple of things changed our mind. First, after the crazed week of wedding hustle and bustle, a couple of days off were in order.

the next reason to stay a day or two longer was the blown tire we were informed about when coming through the main gate. We figured it had happened coming over the Tampa Bay bridge, we hear what sounded like something falling over in the back of the truck, but didn't see or feel anything wrong so we pressed on. From what I've seen and heard from others, we were really lucky no damage was done to the rig during the blow out.

So with having to find a new tire and the rainy day we had, a couple of days off is just what the doctor ordered. The sunsets were great as usual. The RV park at Tyndall AFB is really nice, even with 200+ spots. They have activities for the RVers as well as several discounts around the base. This is also quite a popular place for winter RVers, even with the 200+ spaces they already have a 200 person waiting list for next year. Guess we won't be headed back here again anytime soon.

Something you don't see everyday, we spotted a few of these while poking around the marina by the park.

After a couple of days of much needed R & R, it was off again. Next stop, Apalachicola and the best raw oyster bar we've ever had. We stopped here last year and just had to come back. I had a dozen raw, which you actually get 14-16, and Sheryl ordered up a dozen (15) Rockefeller style, along with a couple of beers after a long travel day, we were in heaven.

We had gotten in pretty late and not wanting to mess with finding a campground, the folks at Papa Joe's let us dry camp in the parking lot for the night. The food and folks here at Papa Joe's are great and also RV friendly, so if you are in need of some of the best oysters around, drop in and you won't be disappointed.

The rest of the travel days were pretty uneventful, standard overnight stops at standard RV parks. We are now in Austin, TX for a week or so visiting Sheryl's Brother and his wife. You maybe asking so why the mad dash across the south again, well, there's a method to our madness. We were asked by Sheryl's brother if we would watch their house and kids while they went on a couples vacation. The date just happened to be right after the Miami wedding, but that's ok, it's good to see them again and have a week or so off.

Were now all caught up, we'll be getting out and seeing the Austin area a bit while were here, so stay tuned for more from the Texas Hill Country.